Black Eyed Dog — A Haunting Stop-Motion Journey into Memory and Obsession

Alone in a small house at the edge of the woods, a man and his dog live in quiet isolation. But when fragments of his past begin to resurface, the man finds himself consumed by memories of a mysterious creature he once encountered as a child. That lingering vision becomes the core of Black Eyed Dog, a stop-motion animated short film written, directed, and animated by Alessandro Cino Zolfanelli.

Produced through Il Varco, 5AM Studios, and Hubris Pictures, the 15-minute film was completed in 2022 and began its festival journey the following year. It has since screened at more than forty international film festivals — including In The Palace ISFF (Bulgaria, Special Mention), FANCINE Fantastic Film Festival of Málaga (Spain), Alice nella Città – Onde Corte (Italy), Montreal International Animation Film Festival, Akbank Short Film Festival (Turkey), and Fantoche 2025 in Switzerland, among many others. The short has also earned numerous awards: Best Animation at Premio Fausto Rossano, Best National Short Film at Sulmona International Film Festival, Best Short Animation at AmiCorti International Film Festival, and Best Animation Movie at LIFE AFTER OIL International Film Festival.

Visually, Black Eyed Dog embraces the atmosphere of isolation through its narrow 4:3 frame and tactile, handcrafted world. Shot in Italy’s Lazio region, the film’s subdued palette and natural textures evoke a haunting psychological space — one where the boundaries between memory and reality blur. The cinematography by Lorenzo Scudiero, editing by Niccolò Notario, music by Francesco Sottile, and sound design by Giulio Previ deepen the tone of dread and longing. Every gesture of the puppet and flicker of light feels heavy with unspoken emotion.

Zolfanelli describes the film as his first foray into stop-motion animation, admitting that nearly every aspect of the production presented a challenge. On his official website, he reflects:

“The learning curve was steep, but I remain deeply attached to this story. It’s my most personal work.”

That personal connection is what gives Black Eyed Dog its quiet intensity. The man’s relationship with his loyal pet — his only companion — underscores the loneliness and obsession that drive the narrative. The “black-eyed dog,” a shadowy figure born from memory or guilt, becomes a metaphor for the ghosts we cannot let go of.

In 2023, the film was acquired by Canal + for an eighteen-month broadcast window, bringing Zolfanelli’s independent stop-motion vision to a wider audience. It quickly gained attention online as well, reaching nearly half a million views on YouTube within just four months — a remarkable feat for an independently produced animated short.

With its sculpted realism and emotional restraint, Black Eyed Dog demonstrates how stop-motion can convey psychological complexity through tangible craft. Zolfanelli’s debut in the medium stands as both a personal confession and a testament to the evocative power of hand-made cinema — proof that even in solitude, memory remains alive in motion.